A Samurai Jack Fanfic
By Laura McDaniel
The Quest Begins
Jack ran back to the village with Jill, not knowing where else to go. He gently set her down in front of her shack. She was still somewhat afraid, even though they'd left Aku far behind. She brought her knees to her chest and rocked uncomfortably. "Jack," she whimpered, "I'm so sorry. That was really irresponsible of me. I'm sorry..." She looked like she was going to cry, when Jack knelt over her and tightly wrapped his arms around her.
Quietly, Jack said, "You could've gotten yourself in a lot of trouble, that's for certain, but your intentions were good and…"
"I know, I know!" Toshi whimpered, burying her head on the sleeve of Jack's robe. "And I had no right to say I was a Samurai..."
"I'm not finished yet," Jack said quietly. "What I was going to say is that today, I think I finally understand you."
"You didn't understand me before?" Toshi asked.
"Not really," Jack said. "Even after I heard your story, I still couldn't quite grasp why you'd introduced yourself as a Samurai. I thought it was just a game you were playing."
"That's all it was," Toshi replied, her voice barely audible.
Jack shook his head solemnly and gently wiped away her tears. "Regardless of the fact that you acted somewhat recklessly, not very many people would do what you did. But you see, Jill," he said, sighing some, "I was reckless, too. I was so eager to fight with those hunters that I didn't stop to think what the consequences of my actions might be. You stopped me from making a terrible mistake, and for that, I am grateful."
"Is that true, Jack?" Toshi asked, looking up slightly. She was gradually starting to calm down.
"Yes, it is. Once I saw how near Aku's castle was, I realized what might have happened had I started a fight."
"Well, I had no idea that Aku was that close. It just...seemed like the right thing to do, I guess." She added, "It's a good thing you were there to save me."
"That's the other thing I wanted to talk about," Jack said, releasing Jill from his embrace and sitting down cross-legged next to her. "I'm not sure what led me to throw my sword to you today, but one thing's for certain: the way you caught it was remarkable!"
"It was something, wasn't it?" Toshi said, a smile escaping her lips.
"Yes, it was," Jack said, smiling as well. "I still don't know how it was possible. My father told me that my sword is enchanted. Perhaps it was somehow drawn to your hands. If such is the case, there must be something special about you."
Toshi turned away from Jack and looked down. "No...there's nothing special about me..."
"You're not giving yourself enough credit. After you caught my sword, you were able to make a clean cut and escape, even though my blade must have seemed heavy to you."
"It...did, but I wanted so much to be free, that it didn't bother me." She looked up at Jack again with a look of realization on her face. "You know, Jack, you're right...I guess I'm not as weak as I thought."
Jack smiled widely and nodded. "And in my mind, you are just as much a samurai as I."
"You really think so?"
"I do indeed, which is why I've decided to accompany you on a quest to free the people from your city that Aku so mercilessly cast into the Pit of Hate."
Jill's eyes lit up with surprise and she threw her arms around Jack, hugging him so tightly he could hardly breathe. "Do you really mean that?"
"Yes, I do," Jack panted as he tried to pull away from the girl's constricting grasp. "Now will you let me go?"
"Oh...sorry," Jill giggled, letting him go. "I guess I just got too excited!"
"Well, you know that it's not going to be much fun," Jack said, not quite understanding Jill's enthusiasm. "In fact, it might be painful."
"I know. I'm just eager to get away from this place for a while. I'm afraid living by myself in a rundown shack has done things to my head," Jill shrugged. "And you'll be there to keep me in line, won't you?"
"Yes, but you'll have to do a work on your own. Are you certain you can handle this?"
"I'm not certain about much of anything anymore, Jack," Jill said, looking down. "All I know is I can't just sit around here anymore."
"There won't be much sitting around on our quest, that much I know."
"When are we going to get started?" Jill asked, eagerly.
"Well, I think we've got some preparations to make before we embark on the actual journey."
"Do you mean I'll get an actual
weapon?"
Jack nodded. "Hopefully. That is assuming I can find the monks that
made the one my father gave me..."
"Do you think they're still around?"
"I have the strangest feeling they are. I'm just not sure where
to find them. Perhaps my dreams will tell me. In the meantime, I'll teach
you other ways of defending yourself so you'll be ready for the journey."
"Arigato, Jack. You don't know how much this means to me."
"We'll get started tomorrow. I'm sure you need to rest after your
encounter with Aku."
Jill yawned, and nodded as she turned her head to look at her shack.
"I don't think it's safe for me here anymore. I doubt Aku will come looking
for me just yet, but those hunters looked pretty upset when they discovered
I wasn't you!"
Jack laughed, "That must have been a sight!"
Jill nodded and laughed as well. "It was! They were so dumb that
they didn't realize I wasn't you even after Aku discovered they'd gotten
the wrong person."
"Well, we might not be a different as you think."
Jill shook her head as she stood up and opened the door to her shack.
"I'm still not sure about that, Jack...but I'm ready to find out. I'm just
going to get a few things. I know we can't carry much when we travel,
but we can stay the night in a clearing I go to often. Nobody ever finds
me there."
Jack nodded and watched as the girl went inside her house. He rubbed
his head thoughtfully and sighed to himself. Helping Jill on his quest
was a challenge, but since he had seen her in action, he was more willing
to help her than before.
Jill returned in a few minutes with the two straw mats strapped
to her back and a small cloth bag under her arm. "Ready to go, Jack?"
she called.
"As long as you are," Jack replied.
"Oh, I'm ready Jack. I'm more than ready. Now, come on! Let me show
you where the clearing is!"
The two of them disappeared into the forest, unseen by the rest
of the villagers. Jack and Jill were about to embark on their first quest
together. There was no turning back.